New Jersey Maple Sugaring Events for 2023

Maple Sugaring is one of the sweetest (get it?) things to do during Wintertime in New Jersey. There are plenty of maple sugar demonstrations, festivals, and tapping events for all ages to enjoy! Below is a list of events that are not only fun but educational and delicious!

For more events going on throughout the year, be sure to check out our Event Guide.

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New Jersey Maple Sugaring Events 2023:

Tap the Sugar Maples
February 4 at 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, and 3:00
Hundreds of sugar maple trees line the banks of Moore’s Creek and the nearby woods at the foot of Baldpate Mountain. Each year in February farmers begin the annual work of sap collection and maple syrup production. Visitors can join Howell Farm’s expert tree-tappers for a lesson in how to tap a backyard maple tree and make syrup at home. Outside activities include firewood cutting, rail splitting and, if conditions permit, a continuation of ice harvesting operations.
Howell Living Farms, 70 Wooden’s Lane, Lambertville, NJ
Cost: Free admission & parking; Please reserve your space for tree tapping

Maple Sugaring Demo & Festival
February 4 and 5, February 18 and 19, February 25 and 26, March 4 and 5, March 11 and 12
Learn how to identify and tap maple trees, collect sap, and make real maple syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. Finish with a syrup taste test! This program will be held entirely outdoors, so dress for the weather. Syrup will be available for purchase, while supplies last.
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Boulevard, Chatham, NJ
Cost: $6 per person. Preregistration is required. For more information, 973.635.6629

Maple Sugaring at the Environmental Education Center
February 4 and 5, 11 and 12, 18 and 19, 25, and 26
Visitors will get see how trees are tapped, view sap-collecting methods past and present, and see the boiling process that produces delicious New Jersey maple syrup. This 90-minute program is conducted at our Sugar Shack, a ½-mile hike from the EEC. Please arrive at the EEC 20-30 minutes before the program start time and dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Boots are recommended as the trails can be wet, muddy, and/or covered by snow.
190 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge, NJ
Cost: $6 per student/senior $7 per adult. To register visit their website or call 908-722-1200 ext.5002

Maple Sugaring at Tenafly Nature Center
February 5, 12 & 19, & 26. March 5, 12, 19 & 26
Learn how to identify a maple tree. Discover the history of syrup making and how technology has changed the way we gather sap over the centuries. The group will check Tenafly Nature Center’s tapped tree and boil down sap to make fresh, warm maple syrup, a sweet treat for all to taste
Tenafly Nature Center, 313 Hudson Ave. Tenafly, NJ
Cost: $5 – $15 for members, $10 – $30 for non-members

Nature Kids: Maple Sugaring
February 11, 1PM – 2:30PM
Debra Reed, Park Naturalist Collecting the sap is a crucial step of the maple sugaring process! Many methods are used on commercial farms, but the basic idea is the same, moving the sap from the maple trees to the stove. Come participate in the process at Echo Hill! We will meet at the playground and then walk to the sugar bush (a five- or ten-minute walk).
Echo Hill Park, 42 Lilac Drive, Flemington, NJ
Cost: $3 per person; accompanying adult attends for free (pre-registration required)

Maple Sugaring at the Hermitage
February 18, 1PM – 4PM
The Hermitage Master Gardeners will be tapping about 15 trees on the grounds of the National Historic Landmark. Families and friends are invited to learn how to tap maple trees and the importance of maple sugaring to the Lenape and early Dutch and English settlers in Northern New Jersey. Children 12 and older and adults will also be able to tap the trees with the Master Gardeners. Guests will be sent home with the equipment to tap the trees in their own yards and instructions on boiling the sap into syrup. During the event a small concession stand featuring hot beverages and maple sugary snacks will be also be open.
The Hermitage, 335 N Franklin Tpke, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
Cost: Tickets are $35 per family and $15 per individual.

Maple Sugaring
February 19, 12PM – 3PM
What a tasty way to spend a winter afternoon! Bring the whole family and enjoy a program about maple sugaring, the oldest continuous industry in North America. On this self-guided hike, you’ll follow a map and visit multiple interactive stations along the Rancocas trails. Learn about the Sugar Maple tree and the history of maple sugaring, observe a tapping demonstration, and enjoy a maple syrup tasting. To ward off the chills, we’ll have an old-fashioned campfire burning.
Rancocas Nature Center, 794 Rancocas Rd, Westampton, NJ
Cost: Member -$9 per person, $30 per family (limit 5 people). Non-Members: $11 per person, $40 per family (limit 5 people). Pay upon arrival on 2/19

Maple Sugaring Hike
February 25, 10AM & 2PM
Discover the history, folklore, and science of maple sugaring. Visit our maple trees, find out how we tap them using drills and spiles, and try a sample of sweet maple sugar. Learn about the evaporation process and how sticky sap transforms into sweet maple syrup. The operation of our outdoor evaporator is dependent on the amount of sap the trees produce and the weather. It may not be running during all program sessions. Dress for both indoors and outdoors and wear your boots. Sign up for one session – registration and prepayment are required.
The Watershed Center, 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ
Cost: $10 (5 years and up). Register in advance

Maple Sugaring Open House
March 5, 2 Sessions
Come to Schiff to experience this hands-on demonstration of maple sugar production with members of Schiff’s educational staff and Board. The tradition of maple sugaring began centuries ago with the Native Americans and early settlers and continues today as homeowners learn to identify, tap, and process the sap of Maple trees. The educational presentation will explain the history of maple sugaring, the seasonal life cycle of the sugar maple tree, and how 100% real maple syrup is made from finding and tapping the tree. Following the educational program, enthusiasts can view the wood-fired evaporator at work and then move on to sample the final product. Of course, the best part is tasting fresh syrup and tasty treats made from our own Schiff maple syrup. An optional two-mile field walk to the working maple grove will be offered to see the tapping and collection operation.
339 Pleasant Valley Rd, Menham, NJ
Cost: Free to Schiff members. Non-member fee is $5 per person

Maple Sugaring Fest at Reeves-Reed Arboretum
March 5, 1PM – 4PM
Enjoy a brisk winter afternoon learning the steps involved in turning tree sap into delicious maple syrup. The whole family will enjoy spending the day outdoors, hiking on trails, and partaking in a Maple Sugaring Challenge! Also enjoy some hot chocolate, maple vendors, and more. It’s going to be a sweet day. This event will be held rain or shine; no refunds.
Reeves-Reed Arboretum, 165 Hobart Avenue, Summit, NJ
Cost: Maple Sugaring Fest is FREE for RRA Members and children under 3. The cost for Non-Members is $5 per person, $25 maximum per family.

Maple Sugaring at Happy Day Farms
March 11, 12, 18 & 19
Freezing nights and thawing days mark the beginning of maple sugaring season, and at Happy Day Farm the work of tapping trees and boiling sap is underway. This is a great outdoor winter experience where attendees will take a tractor ride of their 130-acre farm. Visitors will see their ‘sugar bush’, find out what equipment is needed to collect sap, learn first hand how to identify maple trees, and lend Farmer Tim a hand in the tapping process. In Olivia’s Sugar Shack, visitors can see how sap is finally produced into our delicious maple syrup. The sap is boiled and evaporated in our wood-fired evaporator. They have over 600 maple trees and it takes 35 to 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.
Happy Day Farm, 106 Iron Ore Rd, Manalapan, NJ
Cost: $18 cash only

Maple Sugar Sunday
March 19, 2PM – 4PM
One of the seasonal tasks of farm life in colonial days was sugar making in the maple woods. Learn about the colonial techniques of maple sugaring, how the maple sap rises and flows, how it is collected using wooden buckets and handmade spiles, and how sugar and syrup are made from the sap. (Please note that no tree will actually be tapped.) Program includes a maple sugar storytime and craft for the children. Cooks will be showcasing open-hearth cooking using period recipes and techniques. The grounds will be open for viewing and docents will be offering “quick look” tours of the fully furnished c1740 farmhouse.
Miller-Cory House Museum, 614 Mountain Ave, Westfield, NJ

Maple Sugaring Open House at Lusscroft Farm
March 25
Bring the family and learn how sap is converted to delicious maple syrup. Live demonstrations of how to tap the trees, collect the sap, and operate the evaporator. Fresh maple syrup will be available for purchase! Presented by the Heritage & Agriculture Assoc., the NJ Tree Farm Program, the NJ Society of American Foresters, and the NJ DEP/Division of Parks & Forestry.
50 Neilson Rd, Sussex, NJ